


2466/18340

by oviparous



Series: I Thee Wed [3]
Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Consensual Kink, English-speaking Yama, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship, Husbands, M/M, Romance, Sex, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-05 03:07:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12785613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oviparous/pseuds/oviparous
Summary: How Sho and Ohno got together, made it work, and kept it working.





	1. Day 2 - Sho

**Author's Note:**

  * For [spacewhistler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacewhistler/gifts).



> This is a gift for a friend, and a sort of prequel fic for a current WIP: a Yama fic in the same universe that I somehow hope to finish because damn, it looks like it will be long. This fic contains snapshots of Sho and Ohno's relationship from the universe of 'I Thee Wed', and relates to the events and characters in the universe.

“We’ve just met,” says Sho, after Ohno pulls back from the kiss.

“I know.” Ohno slots his fingers into the spaces between Sho’s to press their knuckles together, then strokes the side of Sho’s index finger with his thumb. He raises his eyes to look at Sho.

“I like you,” says Ohno, and the confession is almost shy.

Sho blushes hopelessly. “We’ve just met,” he repeats, trying to mask the pleasure in his voice.

“You said that already.” Ohno leans in again, touches another kiss to Sho’s mouth. Sho still thinks it’s too soon, and barely responds until Ohno darts the tip of his tongue against Sho’s lower lip, and he shudders, squeezing Ohno’s fingers tightly into his palm. Ohno just chuckles and continues looking at him—admiring, imploring.

Sho takes it all in: Ohno, cute and unpretentious and effortlessly sexy, obviously wanting to make out with him, possibly furiously, in the stacks of a public library in New York at 10 in the morning.

Sho turns his head from side to side to make sure no one else is around.

When their eyes meet again, Ohno’s are already half-closed, his mouth hot on Sho’s, and Sho leans back against the books, curling his fingers in Ohno’s hair, moaning quietly as Ohno presses himself into him.

New York can wait.


	2. Day 51 - Ohno

They meet at Clippership Wharf although Ohno isn’t staying anywhere near the waterfront, and Sho is all smiles until Ohno speaks.

“I’ve been here before,” says Ohno, accidentally honest, and when he sees Sho looking apologetic he adds, “but it’s okay since I’m really only in Boston for you.”

It doesn’t seem like the right thing to say—despite it being true—because Sho’s face hardens and he goes: “Fine, do you want to get a room and fuck the day away?”

Ohno doesn’t expect to feel this upset, but he does, because it's caught him off guard and is completely unlike Sho. Then again, they’ve only been boyfriends for a month, and most of that month was spent with 200 miles between them, so really—what does Ohno know about Sho?

“I didn’t mean that,” Ohno says, voice hollow.

They stare at each other. It’s unfortunate; this is only their second date. It shouldn’t have such a disastrous start, not when they were so looking forward to it. Sho planned it right down to the last second, sent Ohno an itinerary he barely read, but now Ohno has screwed it up, and he doesn’t really know what he should do to remedy the situation.

People stroll past them, some of them noticing the tension and being too deliberate as they try to give them space. It makes Ohno feel worse.

Sho gives a frustrated sigh and scuffs his sneaker against the concrete. “You said you’ve never gone sightseeing in Boston. I wanted to take you to the outdoor gallery with the sculptures.”

“Yeah. I’ve been there for work. But I could go again.”

“Did you even read the itinerary?” Sho is exasperated. “I specifically left a note that asked if you’ve been here before, and if you have we’ll go to the aquarium instead. You didn’t say anything so I assumed you were cool with the plan.”

“I _am_ cool with the plan. I skimmed through the last page and everything looked okay to me.” Ohno frowns. “Does this matter? You planned it, Sho-kun; I know my day is in good hands.”

There is something Sho can’t seem to wrap his head around, and he stands there, sullen.

“I don’t understand,” says Sho finally.

Ohno waits.

“I don’t understand,” Sho starts over, “why you don’t seem to let me know you. The real you. I feel like I’m constantly having to decide things, to decipher your preferences. When you told me you wanted us to date I thought you meant taking our relationship to the next level, but it seems like we’ve only gotten more physical.”

Ohno feels his stomach bottoming out. What an accusation. He isn’t trying to hide anything. He isn’t with Sho just for the sex. Ohno has always invested a hundred per cent in his romantic relationships, no matter how long they lasted. He’s taken all of them seriously: every person he’s truly loved, every heartbreak painfully real.

He takes Sho seriously too.

“I’m not trying to block you out,” says Ohno. “I let you be in charge of stuff because… I like you?” Ohno takes a deep breath, trying to translate all his feelings for Sho with his vocabulary, so sorrowfully limited. “I just really, really like you.”

“So that’s all you’ve got to say?” Sho sounds wounded.

What else can he say? There’s no way to best the truth. It’s irritating having to deal with this, but Sho is not happy right now and Ohno knows he’s the only one who can fix it. He fumbles in his mind and comes up with:

“I also really like Michael Jackson. And chocolate cake. And making friends with birds in Central Park. But when I think of these things, then think about you, I don’t feel like I can say I like them very much, because nothing even comes close. So yeah, that’s really all I’ve got.”

Sho blinks. Ohno licks his lips nervously. Was that the wrong thing to say? Again?

And then Sho is laughing, or maybe he’s crying, Ohno can’t even tell because Sho seems to be doing both, though it’s just a single tear that has leaked past the inner tip of his right eye. He isn’t laughing hard enough for the tear to have come from mirth; Ohno worries about it, finds it offensive, and swipes it away with his finger.

“You’re mad. Thoroughly, utterly mad,” says Sho in English, and Ohno shakes his head.

“I’m not.” He purposely brightens up his face with a smile. “See? Not mad.”

Sho laughs again, prying Ohno’s fingers apart with his own and locking them together the way they did weeks ago in the library, knuckles touching. “I didn’t mean ‘angry’. ‘Mad’ as in ‘crazy’.”

“Oh. That I am, maybe.” Ohno grins at Sho, glad to see him beaming. “Are we good? Can we go? There are people pointing at us.”

Sho sighs fondly. “You’re such a curious man.”

Sho says it in English, and Ohno makes a face as he loses track of Sho’s thoughts once again, knowing the words aren’t what they appear to be. Sho's been immersed in English his whole life while Ohno is only competent, his conversation skills merely honed by ten years of dating a lot of English-speaking men. “I know you enjoy that I’m fairly bilingual, but you have to remember I don’t always understand what you’re saying. What’s ‘curious’ here?” Ohno’s pretty sure Sho isn’t trying to say he’s keen to know about things.

“It means I think you’re strange,” says Sho teasingly, pushing the small of Ohno’s back to set him in motion. “You are weird, and bafflingly simple, and I love it.”

Ohno takes the compliment Sho is offering, his heart drumming a joyous beat as they start walking. “You know what else I like?”

“What?” There’s a buoyancy to Sho’s step.

“I like it when you teach me things. English, music, how to talk dirty over a phone call—”

Sho is impossibly adorable as he wrinkles his nose at Ohno. “Stop. We’re in public.”

Ohno laughs. “And suddenly you’re concerned.”

“I have sudden outbursts of emotion,” argues Sho. “I promise you they usually happen in a more private place.”

“I’ve been to that private place.”

“ _Ohno-kun._ ”

Ohno just laughs, supremely glad because it seems like they're really okay now.

Ohno does enjoy Harborwalk, and the arts space further down the trail. Not all of the installations are permanent, so there are some he hasn’t seen before; when he tells Sho this, and gets excited over a sculpture of an elephantine boat (he’s met the sculptor), Sho takes his hand and apologises.

“I’m sorry, Ohno-kun.” The words rush out of Sho, and his neck has gone impossibly red. “I made a big deal about you not reading the itinerary. It’s a stupid thing to get upset at you for. And all those things I said about you not letting me get closer to you…”

“It’s okay,” says Ohno softly. “I don’t mind it.”

“Every time you told me you liked me, I thought you were just saying it, you know?” Sho’s voice is low and urgent, and his palm goes sweaty in Ohno’s hand. “I thought it was just something you did to get into my pants, but you really do mean it, don’t you?” 

It’s autumn and there’s a bit of a chill, but Ohno feels warm and tingly all over. “Yes,” he says, and Sho suddenly looks very serious.

“I’ve never dated anyone like you.” Sho takes a large gulp of air. “You were a risk. You were my throw-caution-to-the-wind romance.”

Ohno isn’t sure if he should be feeling this pleased since it did sound a little like an insult, but he knows he and Sho come from very different backgrounds, and finds it hard to be offended.

“It’s always been complicated, with other men,” Sho goes on, “always been about feelings and stages of the relationship and what we’re going to do with our shared lives.”

Ohno squeezes Sho’s hand. “I don’t like that. I don’t like complicated.”

“I know.” Sho’s laugh is strong. Free. “You’re special, Ohno-kun. You know that?”

“Oh, Sho-kun. I’m not special.” Ohno cracks a smile. “I’m _curious_.”


	3. Day 87 - Sho

It’s a sock.

“Why?” asks Sho, mystified, taking it out of the bag. “And why is there only one?”

“It’s for you to hang on the door the next time I come over.” Ohno gives Sho a pointed look, and Sho offers one of pure bewilderment in return.

“What for? You’re not coming during Christmas, and even if you were, this isn’t big enough to hold a present.”

Ohno scratches his nose, letting out an amused laugh. “You don’t know this?”

“‘This’ meaning…?” Sho flips the sock back and forth, examining it. It’s argyle, black at the cuff and tip, its lozenges alternating between sky blue and a subdued teal. Sho can tell it’s cheap polyester and he _thinks_ he’s seen Ohno wear it, so he’s pretty sure it’s not meant to be a gift. He sniffs the sock. Okay. At least it’s laundered.

“Didn’t you go to college overseas?” asks Ohno.

“I did.” Sho stares at Ohno. “So?”

“Well,” Ohno says this deliberately, like he’s unraveling a present, “I’ve been told that in America, college kids share dorm rooms, and hanging a sock on the door is the sign for ‘Do not disturb’. We don’t do that in Japan, so I thought…”

“We normally don’t share rooms in England,” Sho starts saying, when it clicks.

Sho lives with two women: Hikaru, who’s his age and their landlord and—not that Sho knows much about pop music—is apparently also an up-and-coming music producer; Shiori is 10 years younger and was introduced to Sho as ‘Struggling Ballet Dancer’—she hasn’t refuted that before, not in the seven months they’ve lived together.

Just yesterday afternoon Shiori came home to what she thought was an empty house, and when she entered Sho’s room to collect his dirty laundry—Sho and Hikaru started paying her to do the household chores so she could quit her awful part-time job—she found Sho, blindfolded with his hips in the air, a knotted gag in his mouth, wrists tied to the lower legs of his bed, and Ohno pounding vigorously into him from behind.

Shiori screamed an apology and fled the house. She texted after, telling Sho she would knock every time she entered his room from now on, even when she believed no one was home, and they would never speak of this again, and he should not text back a reply because the conversation was over, and she wasn’t going to tell Hikaru so he didn’t have to worry about that.

Sho obeyed, deeply mortified, but perhaps less so than he would’ve been if he’d actually seen Shiori’s face when it happened. He feels guilty because he hadn’t given his housemates a heads-up about Ohno coming over—but it was such a good fuck that he can’t really bring himself to regret it. It’s torment, this long-distance thing, but it also means every time they have sex it’s like a celebration they have to get right. So far they’ve been pretty good about making every session count.

Sho looks at the sorry sock-beacon in his hands and starts laughing at Ohno’s intent, slumping lower in his chair as his belly starts to ache, and he quickly presses his knuckles to his mouth to mute himself when he realises people are glaring. He gets it; they’re all waiting for late-night buses, most of the room is napping, and here he is giggling away at something his boyfriend’s done like they’re in high school. It’s both embarrassing and freeing, having all these feelings, being a 35-year-old teenager, living in wonder all the time because of this puzzle of a man.

Ohno laughs too, and it’s a rare instance of him being more dignified than Sho because he’s more caught up in Sho’s reaction than the joke itself (except Sho knows it’s not entirely a joke, Ohno is being quite serious) and when he pans his gaze to give Sho this _look_ , this look that speaks of contentment and joy and fondness, Sho is in so much bliss he could vomit because it’s unbelievably saccharine—imagine if Nino were here? Or Jun? They’d never let him live it down, probably abuse him with taunts of being a gone case, a lovesick fool.

But Sho doesn’t really care, because neither Nino nor Jun are here, and he has no one to play big brother to, even less reason to display his usual propriety. He pivots his cheek on the bony part of Ohno’s shoulder to look up at him, realising he’s never felt this happily in love before.

“I like your eyes,” says Ohno suddenly, peering into Sho’s face. “They’re so big and round.”

It makes Sho want to kiss him, but they’re in public and he’s conservative, but Ohno’s bolder than him and leans in for a quick peck on the lips. Sho lets his embarrassment kick in and hurriedly turns away from Ohno before folding the sock in half and slipping it back into the bag, just so his hands have something to do.

He really is a lovesick fool.

There’s a whirring sound from beside them as the bus driver starts the engine; a guy with a clipboard shows up, calling to passengers to please give him their tickets. They stand up, and Sho scrunches the lapels of Ohno’s coat in his fists, keeping him at arm’s length, not daring to pull him close with so many people around to watch.

“I’ll see you during New Year’s,” says Sho, missing him already.

“Yeah. Break a leg for the concert.”

Sho nods, releasing Ohno’s coat and smoothing down the wrinkles. “Love you,” he says, patting the fabric.

Ohno grins and gives Sho a quick hug, secretly landing a kiss on the side of Sho’s neck. He knows how Sho feels about public displays of affection; Sho appreciates that Ohno understands.

Sho watches Ohno board the bus and starts walking away, occasionally turning back to wave. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to saying goodbye to Ohno; New York isn’t too far away, not really, but Sho figures that when two people love each other like this, it does feel like that one cliched eternity.


	4. Day 1389 - Ohno

_Gonna ask my boyfriend to marry me,_ Ohno types. He sends the message off to his mother, his best friend Aiba and his other best friend Satomi, before dropping his phone atop the pile of clothes he’s shed by the bed.

There’s no backing out now that he’s told people.

“Is this really a good time to be texting?” asks Sho. 

“This is important,” Ohno responds, crossing the mattress with his knees, “trust me.”

Sho grunts impatiently and splays his fingers against the nape of Ohno’s neck as he comes closer, making him fall unglamorously on top of Sho. Sho doesn’t wait for him to catch his breath; they’re kissing now, fast and hard and wet, and Ohno can’t wait to get to the next part.

They’re both nearing 40 and Ohno has heard stories of people losing interest at a certain age, but at this point it seems like a myth because he’s been with Sho for almost four years and the sex has only gotten better. It’s true that their stamina has taken somewhat of a hit, and they’re definitely less experimental now—they don’t incorporate kinks into their lovemaking anymore, though Ohno reckons they’ve had enough bondage experiences to last a lifetime—but overall it’s way, way more sensual. Ohno believes it’s because they’re meant for each other and their love is invincible because a higher power wrote it into destiny. Sho, who doesn’t believe in the concept of a one true love (they’ve gotten into arguments because of this; Ohno considers Sho a heretic), believes it’s because they’ve ‘gotten to an emotionally near-perfect place through healthy communication’. At the end of the day it’s probably the same thing, though Ohno still prefers to think he’s right about Sho being The One. He’s done crazy things for Sho, things that have surprised himself and would shock his family and friends if they knew he did them willingly. He can’t see how a love like that isn’t a cosmic arrangement.

Ohno rubs himself on Sho, kind of half-heartedly because he’s got the proposal on his mind, and Sho notices, so he cups Ohno’s ass and starts grinding up into him, saying all sorts of filthy things in a mix of English and Japanese. How someone can be so hot, Ohno doesn’t understand. He gets hard in an instant.

Sho has this way of making Ohno feel needed. It’s incredible. It’s privilege. Sho is such a virtuous person, the kind of guy who’d win awards for being a good citizen, but when it’s just the two of them he sort of turns himself inside out, surrendering to Ohno his weaknesses and worries and regrets. It’s the same when they have sex: Sho strips away his modesties—both virtual and real—and completely lets go. Ohno knows there’s no one else whom Sho treats this way, and it often makes him want Sho so bad, he rings him up for phone sex.

It’s comfort and security that Ohno apparently gives Sho, though how he actually gives those things, he doesn’t know himself. But he must be doing something right, since Sho always tells Ohno to never change. Ohno always replies that it’s never occurred to him to.

They're practiced in the way they move, how they gasp, but none of this is routine. Fingers. More lube. The plug. The other plug. Finally Sho whispers a breathy 'fuck me' in English, and Ohno knows when Sho says it like this it means he’s really, really horny and really, really ready, so Ohno grabs a condom, rolls it on, and plunges his cock into Sho with one swift stroke, because that’s how Sho likes it, and he will deliver.

“Hello, Concentration Face,” Sho teases after a few of Ohno’s thrusts, reaching up to cup Ohno’s cheek. Ohno smiles and continues rocking his hips. Sho is right. This does take a lot of mind work. Sho’s warmth, enveloping him; his scent; the rhythm of his breathing; his touch—it’s a lot of stimuli, and Ohno needs to last long enough for Sho to enjoy this.

They go for a while longer but Ohno has to pull out momentarily; Sho needs to stretch his right leg for a bit. He says sorry, like he does every time, but Ohno doesn’t mind it at all. He holds Sho’s ankle to help him, and lightly massages his knee.

Ohno tries not to worry too much about Sho’s leg, but it isn’t easy. The accident happened seven years ago, when Sho was making a late night supermarket run on his bicycle. He’d gotten a bunch of stuff fractured, but his leg was the worst hit, and he’s had to deal with pain ever since.

Without the accident there wouldn’t have been any impetus for Sho to come to the U.S., and they would never have met. But Ohno thinks he’d trade everything for Sho to be spared that harrowing experience—Ohno believes in fate, after all. They’d be able to find their way to each other somehow, he’s sure of it.

It’s the leg and its scars that have helped Ohno reach the conclusion that he wants to be with Sho in sickness and in health and all that jazz. Ohno’s been thinking about marriage for a while; he admits it’s partly because Aiba is engaged and Satomi posted pictures of the matching toothbrushes her kids got her and her husband for their wedding anniversary so Ohno wants whatever they have. It’s not like he can’t get it; he’s met the love of his life, after all. The other reasons range from how Sho has been kind of homesick to how Ohno thinks it’s time to go back to Japan, but to Ohno the most important reason behind his wish to marry Sho is he just wants to be good to Sho, be good _for_ him, and take care of him. He wants to do it his entire lifetime.

Ohno enters Sho again, and when Ohno pauses to breathe Sho does that trick with his ass, and Ohno has to choke out a request for him to ‘stop milking’ (that’s what they call it) because he doesn’t want to come just yet. There’s an all-too-innocent look on Sho’s face as Ohno struggles to calm down, and it doesn’t bode well; sure enough when Ohno says he’s ready and holds up a finger in a don’t-you-dare gesture Sho laughs and starts clenching and releasing again, and Ohno just groans and lets him do it.

Nobody gets to see Sho like this. Nobody but him. Ohno gets an orgasm so huge, he feels like he could power a village. He tells Sho this, to which Sho responds by saying ‘what the fuck’ in English and laughing until he’s blue in the face.

In his daily life Sho isn’t overly particular about sanitation—like Ohno, he reuses his bath towel—but he has this thing about getting squeaky clean before letting Ohno go down on him. They thus adjourn to the shower where Ohno patiently waits for Sho to deem his dick fit for the deed, and the moment Ohno latches onto him he starts paying Sho back in his own coin for what Sho did to him in bed, mercilessly sucking in his cheeks to give Sho that vacuum he likes. Soon Sho shouts a warning and Ohno braces himself for the ejaculation, gamely swallowing with every squirt that hits the back of his throat. 

When he rises up to his feet, still tasting Sho’s cum in his mouth, Sho immediately kisses him—Sho does this every time, it’s weirdly rewarding—and Ohno knows the sex is almost over. It makes him nervous, because the time has come. He’s going to propose right here, in his shower, before his bravado fades. He doesn’t know if Sho will say yes, but he’s confident Sho won’t say no.

Ohno turns the shower off, takes Sho’s shoulders and props him against the wall. “Sho.”

Sho looks completely relaxed, and he grins lazily at Ohno. “Yeah?”

Ohno’s heart pounds wildly against his chest. This is it. He looks Sho squarely in the eyes.

“Will you marry me?”


	5. Day 1642 - Sho

Some days Sho really worries for Ohno, like when Ohno’s possessed by the urge to create and foregoes food and sleep and his bosses give him days off so they don’t unintentionally violate any labour laws, or when on said days off he suddenly disappears to sea and Sho can’t reach him for hours on end. But Sho’s greatest worry of all is that Ohno will be left alone if Sho dies first—it’s a morbid future to consider, but Sho supposes it’s the kind of thing people think about when they promise to spend the rest of their lives with another person.

If only Ohno had more friends. Sho knows that when he isn’t actively trying to get to know someone Ohno appears as being standoffish, but really he’s just esoteric. Sho can think of at least three other people who really get Ohno, but even then it’s only three. It’s not that Ohno doesn’t have friends—if it’s the right crowd he’s easygoing enough to win friendships with just a beer—but Sho feels like Ohno doesn’t connect with them the way Sho knows he can. Sho isn’t hoping for Ohno to find any more deep, soul-baring relationships, not after Ohno confessed that Sho marked his endgame when it came to friend-making; it flatters Sho, but it makes him nervous at the same time, because what Ohno really meant was he doesn’t need to seek out any more new relationships since he’s completely satisfied with the ones he has now.

Sho knows it’s unfair to hold Ohno to his ideals, but Sho, who thrives on human relationships and finds comfort in the knowledge that he has several groups of friends he can absolutely depend on, often wishes that Ohno at least tries harder to surround himself with more good people, to expand his circle of trust. If only he wasn’t so concerned with being a decent person… It sounds contradictory, but Sho knows that Ohno has this do-unto-others rule, by which he makes sure he contributes, or is capable of contributing, as much as the other person to the friendship, and there is an expectation for the other person to adhere to this as well. If he knows he can’t give in that capacity, he doesn’t bother. It’s the reason why he cuts some people out of his life, the reason why he doesn’t let some others in. And, because Ohno is quiet by nature, it makes the entire process so easy for him.

There have been times Sho has resented Ohno for being so ridiculously private. Their relationship, for example, was kept under wraps for the longest time on Ohno’s end. To be fair, he didn’t go out of his way to deny Sho’s existence—he just never admitted it. Most of the time he avoided the topic altogether, though eventually his coworkers received enough responses of ‘Can it wait? I’m in Boston’ to figure out he was seeing someone there. But Ohno hates it when people try to poke their nose into his affairs, and rebels against that concept by compartmentalising all of his activities and relationships, actively preventing them from intersecting with each other. Sho has struggled to understand how Ohno can be so simultaneously genuine and withdrawn, but he also knows it’s not something to understand; it’s something to accept. It can hurt, however, when Ohno coops up within himself and Sho doesn’t know why. Sho’s been pampered over the past four years with all of Ohno’s affection and candour, and it gets Sho antsy when Ohno doesn’t come clean with what’s bothering him—like now.

“How was the wedding?” asks Sho, lacing their fingers together in the usual fashion as they laze on the couch, Sho’s TV streaming a performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 in the background.

Ohno has been silent since he entered the apartment; Sho thought it was because the 13-hour flight from Tokyo left Ohno beat, but now he’s starting to think it’s not that, since Ohno isn’t trying to sleep.

“There was no wedding,” says Ohno eventually. “Aiba-chan’s fiancé skipped town.”

Sho goes on to learn that Ohno spent the last two weeks of his three-week trip back to Japan mostly checking on Aiba, making sure he ‘didn’t do anything stupid like off himself or something’, and how he and Aiba’s mother would take turns parking themselves at Aiba’s apartment making sure he did things like bathe and eat. All Aiba wanted to do was to watch his phone just in case Emil texted or called, though they'd managed to persuade him to slow down the frequency of his messages to Emil's voicemail to once every hour.

“I feel so bad for him,” says Ohno, curling up into himself and hugging his knees. “He’s like an empty shell. It’s fucking scary. How am I supposed to send him our wedding invite?”

Sho rubs his back, unable to say anything appropriate. He hasn’t actually met Aiba—he’s caught a glimpse of him once, when Ohno was conducting a video call—but Ohno talks enough about Aiba for Sho to know he’s one of the three people besides Sho who gets Ohno. Sho knows how much he means to Ohno.

“We’re not too different, Aiba-chan and I.” Ohno looks at Sho, propping his chin on his knees. “It made me think: what would I do if I lost you? What if you died?” Ohno’s gaze drops to Sho’s leg, the one that got pretty mangled when he got hit by a drunk driver all those years back. “And what if I died? What would happen to you?”

Sho wraps an arm around Ohno and pulls him into a hug.

“I’ll be fine, Satoshi. I have my people.”

Ohno plants his face in Sho’s shoulder, making a funny noise that’s half-grunt, half-whine. “God, I’m glad we’re moving back to Japan. I’m happy to be wherever you are, but I’ll be happier if we’re both around our people.”

And Sho sees it now, sees that he’s been all too conforming to Ohno’s segregation of his relationships. After they got serious, Sho automatically put a filter on his societies, knowing Ohno wasn’t interested in meeting certain types. He would handpick friends and invite Ohno to gatherings with just the ones Sho thought would get along with him. But now he realises that just because Ohno hides his friends doesn’t mean Sho has to do the same.

“Satoshi,” says Sho against Ohno’s temple, “I want all my friends to be your friends, and vice versa. This way my people will be your people too, and you’ll have no need to worry about us being alone when the other is gone.”

Ohno brightens considerably when he hears this. “That’s actually a good idea. You’ll like Aiba-chan.”

“If you say I will, I will.” Sho pauses, recalling his schedule. “Nino’s coming to visit next month—do you want to hang out?”

“Sure. Let me know when.” Ohno finally smiles.


	6. Day 1787 - Ohno

“That was not cool, Satoshi. Not cool,” says Sho once they get on the bus, and Ohno knows he’s in trouble.

“What did I do?” asks Ohno, though he can guess: it’s because of what he said earlier, when they were heading to the train station with Nino.

“You were about to suggest to Nino that Aiba-kun is the only one who’s right for him.”

There it is. Sho’s heresy at work. “I was just saying it, you don’t have to take it so seriously. And you don’t know for sure—they could be a thing eventually.”

“Or not.” Sho shakes his head. “Nino’s in a weird place right now, and I don’t want you feeding him any ideas he doesn’t need.”

Ohno stares at him. “Are you saying my best friend isn’t good enough for yours?”

“I’m not,” Sho denies hotly. “I was the one who asked you if Aiba-kun’s still single, remember?”

“So what’s this about?”

“This is about you putting ideas into Nino’s head. For all his fronts Nino is rather fragile, and I really don’t want him getting hurt.”

“Aiba-chan won’t _hurt_ him.”

“I’m not talking about Aiba-kun specifically; I’m talking about how Nino needs to go out and meet people before he decides who’s good for him. Helping him zoom in on Aiba-kun isn’t going to help.”

They bus back to Ohno’s parents’ place in silence, trying to act as normally as they can when Ohno’s mother meets them in the entryway hugging an empty laundry basket, asking if they had a good time at their friend’s. Ohno gives a noncommittal grunt and heads straight for the bedroom; behind him, Sho gushes about their wonderful evening before smoothly asking his mother if she needs any help with the laundry.

Ohno doesn’t say anything when Sho finally enters the room. Ohno starts arranging the stuff in his suitcase quite mindlessly, pretending to pick out pyjamas.

“Can we talk?” asks Sho, and Ohno slowly swivels his head to look at him.

“They’ll know we’re fighting,” says Ohno, nodding in the direction of his parents’ room. From this side of the wall they can hear his father ask if Ohno and Sho are home, and his mother saying yes.

“Not if we whisper, and mix in some English.” Sho goes to sit beside him. “Listen. I’m sorry if I’m trying to foist my ideals on you again,” says Sho, “I know you hate that. But Nino’s my best friend, and I want to protect him.”

Ohno accepts the apology, giving Sho a meaningful look. “I want to protect Aiba-chan too, that’s why I told Nino during dinner I don’t think he’s looking. But after I found out he gave his card to Nino… I don’t know, Sho. That’s a big step.” Ohno pats Sho’s knee. “Don’t overthink. If they happen, they happen.”

“It’s not that simple.” There’s frustration in Sho’s voice, and Ohno tries to understand. “I was Nino’s last single friend, and I think our wedding really pushed Nino into thinking he can have what we have. It’s kind of my doing, you know what I mean?”

“Sho. Nino’s an adult. He knows what to do.”

“He looks like an adult, but he’s not. Not really.” Sho sighs. “Out of all my friends I worry for him the most.”

“You’re not his mother.”

“His mother doesn’t know anything about his love life,” says Sho darkly. “I feel responsible. He tells me and Matsujun things, and we’ve always sort of helped him out, you know?” Sho stops, realising something. “Maybe I should talk to Matsujun about this.”

Ohno doesn’t get where this conversation is going. It’s not really an argument—more like a discussion—and it’s definitely circling the topic of Nino’s seemingly poor dating history. He watches Sho fiddling with his phone, murmuring words as he composes his message. So now Jun is being brought in. 

Ever since Sho’s friends became Ohno’s friends, he’s found the Sho-Jun-Nino dynamic particularly bewildering: the three of them are terribly smart, like actually-fond-of-thinking-really-deeply-about-things smart, and sometimes Ohno feels like he can’t keep up. Damn these music majors.

“Do you still want to talk?” asks Ohno, feeling a little useless and left out, and Sho looks up from his phone in surprise.

“Of course I do.”

“But you’re talking to Matsujun.” Ohno points at the phone.

Sho stares. “I’m not going to Matsujun because you aren’t helping me figure this out. You’re my husband, but you don’t have to solve my problems, though I appreciate you listening to me whine about them. That, you manage with absolute competence.”

“You don’t _whine_ ,” Ohno points out.

“I choose not to.” Sho switches off the phone screen to focus on the conversation at hand. “You don’t know Nino that well, so it’s natural that you can't completely understand why I’m worried. There will be times like these, when we face things in our lives that neither one of us can help the other with, because they aren’t within our locus of control. And that’s okay. We just have to stick around. Support each other.”

Ohno thinks about this; specifically, how he can support Sho in this situation. “You should tell me more about Nino,” says Ohno conclusively.

“Why?”

“I want to understand why you’re worried.”

A grin spreads slowly across Sho’s face. He’s crazy about Ohno right now, Ohno can tell.

Ohno spends the next hour listening to Sho recount several memories of Nino; Nino apparently ‘can seem like a flippant bastard on the outside, but is actually fucking loyal and would do anything for the people he loves’, and according to Jun he’d toned down by the time he met Sho, but even then he ‘slept with anything that was gay and moved’, and it makes Ohno laugh, the way Sho is telling his story, filling in blanks with English words when the Japanese ones don’t come to him, finding the aptest expressions to speak of a very different love he has for another man. Sho’s English is colourful and brazen, and it tickles Ohno because Japanese Sho is vigorously moral; it’s a dual trait so ingrained in Sho’s identity he doesn’t always notice it himself, but Ohno does, every time. He’s told Sho he loves this gap of his, and today Sho is sparing no expense, transiting seamlessly between the two languages, Ohno pausing him occasionally to check the meaning of a word. At the end of the last anecdote, not only does Ohno learn more about Nino, he also learns that the way Sho’s brain is wired still remains one of his biggest kinks, and they end up making love as quietly as they can on the futons after they deduce from the snores next door that Ohno’s parents are asleep.

It’s a beautiful, newlywed time.


	7. Day 2242 - Sho

It’s a Saturday, and Jun and Soo-jung have made it plain that they’re not celebrating their 13th wedding anniversary, but their kids have other ideas. A month ago Ria reached out to Nino—the Matsumotos got her a phone this year—and asked if he would mind watching her and her siblings so her parents could go have lunch and watch a movie. The kids pooled their otoshidama money to make this happen, and they wanted it to be a surprise; Soo-jung’s relatives don’t live close by while Jun’s parents aren’t around anymore, and for years the kids have regarded Nino as their actual uncle since he’s been pretty involved with their lives. He’s also done a good job looking after them before.

Sho isn't as close to the kids because of his five years in Boston, so it made sense for Ria to approach Nino first, but when Nino found out that he couldn’t make it that afternoon, he asked, with Ria’s blessing, if Sho could babysit instead. Sho gamely agreed—he used to babysit his much-younger siblings—but Nino warned that he might need an extra pair of hands because babysitting four children is no joke.

That’s how Sho and Ohno find themselves in Jun’s apartment, in complete mercy of his kids.

“Hirari, I don’t think that should go in your mouth,” says Sho, plucking the crayon from between Hirari’s lips just as she looked like she was going to chomp down on it.

“It smells like cherries.” Hirari picks up another crayon and sniffs it. “This one smells like farts.”

Kento is with them, seated cross-legged on the floor, and he snorts as he works on his origami bird. “Farts!”

“Farts!” Hirari screams at the top of her voice.

Sho is asked to join in the chant, and he hesitates because he doesn’t know if this is acceptable behaviour for the Matsumoto kids, and he doesn’t want to be _that uncle_ who throws a wet blanket on fun. Before he knows it Ria pops out from the kitchen with a timer. She hands it to Sho, tells the younger two they know the rules, before heading back into the kitchen to help Ohno cook lunch.

The timer is already running, and Sho clamps down on a laugh as Hirari and Kento start saying ‘farts’ in a deliberate crescendo, though it doesn’t take long for them to dissolve into giggles, and they miss their last chance to say ‘farts’ because the timer pings. They laugh a few seconds more before Hirari settles down with her colouring book and crayons, and Kento with his origami paper.

Sho doesn’t really understand what he just witnessed, but he shelves it for future reference.

When Dan comes home from baseball practice he says hi to everyone before heading for the shower, and Ria comes out from the kitchen again, telling Hirari and Kento they have until the end of Dan’s shower to get ready for lunch. She then strides to the bathroom and tells Dan he has 10 minutes, tops, before setting the timer again.

“Ria’s a remarkable kid,” says Ohno later, after they return the children to their parents and are driving home in their car. “She’s very mature for her age. We actually didn’t need to be around; she was great with her siblings.”

“Yeah, she really called the shots. It was such a good day for them.”

“She said they were putting on their best behaviour for us because they’re going to Disneyland next month and they don’t want to do anything that will jeopardise the trip. There’s a camera in the living room, did you see?”

“Yeah. Nino and I thought Matsujun was overdoing it—because seriously, monitoring your kids with tech?—but I kind of get it now. It can be great for discipline, and it’s not like the kids don’t know it’s there.”

“Do you think Ria wanted us over because she wanted her mum and dad to have peace of mind while they were out?” There’s a touch of wonder in Ohno’s voice.

“I think so, but she also really appreciated the help.” Sho stops at a light. “She said she gets really bored playing with the younger two.”

“They’re cute, though.”

“Yeah, but imagine having to live with them.”

Ohno laughs, nodding.

“Matsujun’s said they don’t want to give Ria too much responsibility too young, but Ria actually likes having responsibilities so it’s hard to find a balance,” explains Sho. “She takes after him, in that sense.”

Ohno hums, leaning back into his seat. “You know, if we had a kid like Ria, I wouldn’t mind being a parent.”

Sho laughs. “They don’t come pre-packaged, you know.”

“We could have our kid live with Matsujun for a bit, maybe?”

“He’d excommunicate us. Five kids under one roof, Satoshi. How many hands do you think he and Soo-chan have?”

“Ria will be there. Our kid can be her disciple.”

Sho looks at Ohno, who has a funny grin plastered on his face, and Sho can’t help but smile himself. “So you’ve changed your mind about kids?”

“The only reason why I said we shouldn’t have any is because I can’t imagine myself running after one. If I were ten years younger, maybe, but I’m going to be forty-two next month. No thank you.”

Ohno seems to only be talking about himself, but Sho knew he’s being considerate and not pointing out how Sho has a wonky leg. “But if we get an older kid?” Sho suggests, thinking of the Matsumoto children.

“If we get an older kid…” Ohno shrugs. “Like I said, I wouldn’t mind being a parent.”

They sink into a shared reverie, one they’ve spoken about, of children they tuck into bed, of doctor’s visits ending in tears and lollipops, of petty squabbles and apologies, of fishing trips and music and snow globes and art. It’s all very ideal—perhaps too ideal—and Sho juts his lips out, drumming his hands on the steering wheel as he considers reality.

“If we really want this… There’s going to be a lot of research waiting for us. Do we foster first? Do we adopt right away?” Sho glances at Ohno, who’s looking out the passenger window. “Even if all the paperwork goes smoothly, there’ll be the actual parenting, and that’s the hard part. Will we be good dads? Will we be crap? Will we hate the kid?” Sho turns to Ohno, feeling anxious. “It won’t be easy, Satoshi.” 

Ohno still has his head turned towards the window, and he says, very softly:

“Nothing worthwhile ever is.”

It’s more of a thought than a vocalisation, and it’s wise and true and it makes Sho’s heart clench because _god_ —he loves this man.


	8. Day 2466 - Ohno

“I love weddings!” Sho declares, flopping onto the couch, and it makes Ohno laugh. “Your best friend and my best friend, how about that.”

Ohno joins Sho on the couch and starts massaging his shoulders. Sho just drove for four hours non-stop, since Ohno, Aiba and Nino all had champagne and couldn’t take over the wheel.

“It’s _mental_ ,” says Sho cheerfully. “I feel like we’re this huge family now. Not that we weren’t before, but Aiba-kun and Nino getting married just makes it official.” Sho rolls up against Ohno with a satisfied sigh. “Nino is married. To Aiba-kun. And they met at our wedding. What is this sorcery?”

Ohno clears his throat. “Does this mean you’re finally gonna believe in The One?”

“It’s tempting,” says Sho, “but no. They worked fucking hard for today to happen, you know? They had all these things to iron out, all these hurdles to overcome.”

“I’m not denying you have to work hard for a relationship,” Ohno defends, “I’m just saying people who are meant to be together will end up together, no matter what life throws their way.”

“I don’t know how anyone can possibly prove that.”

“We could get divorced and find out.”

“Aw,” says Sho in English, and Ohno suddenly realises there isn’t a real equivalent for ‘aw’ in the Japanese language, and he’s about to bring it up when Sho clambers into his lap, facing him, and winds his arms around his neck.

It’s a really sweet gesture; Ohno hugs back, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply, trying to take in all of Sho. There’s been so much happening in their lives lately, it’s been hard to catch a breather and find some time for themselves.

“Has it ever occurred to you,” says Sho, “that there’s no real Japanese equivalent for ‘aw’?”

Ohno laughs. “I was just thinking that.”

Sho pushes against Ohno’s shoulders and they come face to face. He touches Ohno’s eyebrows, nose, lips, jaw, ears; mimicking Ohno from a time nostalgic.

“Are you memorising me?” asks Ohno.

“Yes.”

There’s nothing else to do but to kiss Sho, and it feels like that very first kiss they shared in the library in New York; it sends chills down Ohno’s spine because remembering it makes Ohno think about how different his life would be if they hadn’t met. He clings onto Sho, never wanting to let go.

“For what it’s worth,” says Sho, drawing back, “I might not believe in The One, but right now, in this moment, you’re—”

Ohno cuts Sho off with a searing kiss, putting his all into it, not wanting Sho to say the words. He doesn’t want to jinx it. Sho has always been the heretic; he, the believer. He doesn’t want Sho to change. They’re good this way.

They’re good this way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this, M! I purposely made most of the chapter endings abrupt and dropped some easter eggs for the 'main' fic, so please, fingers and toes crossed that I will finish that and not just tease you with this!


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